Joseph Poupin

Identification of a Ciliopagurus strigatus (Herbst, 1804) species-complex, with description of a new species from French Polynesia (Crustacea, Decapoda, Anomura, Diogenidae)

Poupin J. & Malay M. C. 2009. — Identification of a Ciliopagurus strigatus (Herbst, 1804) species-complex, with description of a new species from French Polynesia (Crustacea, Decapoda, Anomura, Diogenidae). Zoosystema 31 (2): 209-232. ABSTRACT Four hermit crabs of the genus Ciliopagurus are recognized as a complex of species named the “strigatus complex”. They are found in the low intertidal or shallow waters of the Indo-West Pacific. Ciliopagurus strigatus (Herbst, 1804) is characterized by striped legs and chelae with alternate yellow and red transverse colour bands. It is commonly found on reef habitats and is reported from the Red Sea to French Polynesia. Ciliopagurus tricolor Forest, 1995 is reported with certainty from East Africa to Réunion Island, C. vakovako Poupin, 2001 is endemic to the Marquesas Islands, and C. galzini n. sp. is described as a new species from specimens collected in the Tuamotus. Within the 17 extant species of the genus Ciliopagurus, these four species are distinct by the aspect of the ocular acicle with 3–5 terminal spines instead of usually 1 or 2 in the other species, a few morphometric characters, and by their vertical distribution, from intertidal to about 20 m, whereas all the other species are usually collected deeper. The species of the “strigatus complex” are morphologically very similar and can be separated with confidence only by their coloration. All of them have similar colour patterns of transverse bands on the chelipeds and walking legs, but each species can be easily recognized by the distinct colour and/or disposition of these bands. The appraisal of these colour differences as valuable specific indicators is confirmed by phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences.

Discovery of a new micro-pagurid fauna (Crustacea: Decapoda: Paguridae) in the Lesser Antilles, Caribbean Sea

ABSTRACT Six new monotypic genera and eight new species of hermit crabs of the family Paguridae Latreille, 1802 are fully described based on specimens obtained during two separate, intensive biodiversity studies on the islands of Guadeloupe, Curaçao, and Dominica in the Lesser Antilles, Caribbean Sea. The study in Guadeloupe utilized a broad variety of sampling techniques, including dredging, baited traps, and a SCUBA-operated vacuum device; in Curaçao and Dominica, a manned submersible was used. The high number of new taxa discovered is surprising given they were obtained in a relatively small area of the Antilles in habitats ranging in depth from shallow water (c. 1 m) to deep reefs (250 m). Tissue samples were extracted from most specimens for CO1 barcoding and other genetic analyses for future phylogenetic investigations. Gene sequences are reported to complement the morphological descriptions. The new species are unusual in their minute sizes, ranging 0.4–1.5 mm in shield length; and aspects of their morphology, in particular gill number and characteristics of male sexual tubes, which could not be clearly matched to any of the existing genera of Paguridae. The term “micro-pagurid” is introduced for this diverse, diminutive fauna of Paguridae (adult shield length ≤ 1.5 mm), discovered living in cryptic habitats and complex deep reef structures of these three islands. A brief, preliminary discussion of the possible significance of this micro-pagurid diversity, specialized morphology, and biogeography is included.

Porcellanid crabs from Guadeloupe Island (Crustacea, Decapoda, Anomura), with an updated list of species from the Lesser Antilles

ABSTRACT A collection of porcellanid crabs from Guadeloupe Island, Caribbean Sea Lesser Antilles, is reported. The specimens were obtained during the KARUBENTHOS Expedition (V.2012), a 1-month intensive survey of selected habitats in shallow-water to moderate depth (intertidal to 160 m). A total of 20 species were found, 15 of which represent new records for Guadeloupe Island. Almost all species were photographed in color shortly after capture. For each species, a diagnosis, notes on habitat, geographical distribution, and taxonomic remarks, are given. The 20 species of porcellanid crabs found in Guadeloupe Island represent 54% of a total of 37 species known from the entire Lesser Antilles (Anguilla to Trinidad) and the islands off Venezuela (Testigos to Aruba). The richness of the porcellanid fauna of Guadeloupe Island indicates a high biodiversity potential in other decapod crustaceans or invertebrates in general, living in marine habitats of this Island.

Crustacea Decapoda of Glorieuses Islands, with notes on the distribution of the coconut crab ( Birgus latro ) in the western Indian Ocean

An inventory has been made of the decapod fauna of the Glorieuses Islands, western Indian Ocean (WIO), following the BIORECIE 2 Expedition to the Islands, 5–17 December 2012. Field data are complemented by a review of taxonomic studies for these islands. Overall 157 species are now reported from the Glorieuses Islands, including 61 new records. The presence of the coconut crab, Birgus latro , is confirmed from these islands, for the first time since 1884, and the WIO distribution of this endangered species is updated, based on observations made in the region since 2006.

Report on Some Species of Palaemonidae (Decapoda: caridea) from Clipperton Island

Abstract The present paper reports six genera nine species of Palaemonidae collected from Clipperton Island, eastern tropical Pacific, including three new species of the pontoniine genus Chacella: C. bicornuta, C. quadricornuta, and C. sexicornuta. We provide a key to identify all the six known species of Chacella.

The Crabs from Mayotte Island (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura)

A collection of crabs assembled during the KUW 2009 expedition to Mayotte Island and deposited in the Museum national d’Histoire naturelle Paris is studied. In total 202 species are recognized, 138 of them being new records for the Island and a list of brachyuran crabs is documented and illustrated with photographs. A complementary list of all crabs previously in taxonomic literature from Mayotte and its nearest Islands (Comoros Islands, Glorieuses Islands and marine banks of Zelee, Geyser and Leven) is also provided. In total 298 crabs are identified from the region, the richness of this fauna is discussed with zoogeographic considerations and the prospects for further studies are outlined.

A preliminary assessment of the deep-sea Decapoda collected during the KARUBENTHOS 2015 Expedition to Guadeloupe Island

A preliminary assessment of the deep-sea Decapoda is proposed for Guadeloupe Island based solely on high definition macro photographs taken during the KARUBENTHOS 2015 Expedition to the Island (R/V Antea, 7-29 June 2015). Overall, 190 species are recognized, several of which are depicted with their fresh color for the first time. Previous records in the Lesser Antilles are documented and the geographic distribution of the species in these Islands is given. The historical contribution of the steamer Blake (1878-1879) in the Lesser Antilles is emphasized. All species inventoried during KARUBENTHOS 2015 were already reported in the western Atlantic but 34 of them are new records for the Lesser Antilles and 116 are reported for the first time from Guadeloupe Island. This preliminary inventory is estimated to include about 38% of the deep-sea Decapoda potentially occurring around Guadeloupe Island.

Neoliomera moana, a new cavernicolous species of xanthid crab from the Marquesas Islands (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura).

A new crab Liomerinae, Neoliomera moana sp. nov., is described from the Marquesas Islands, based on three specimens collected by hand at the entrance of submarine caves at depths of 6-28 m. Within the genus the new species belongs to a group of six species that have the carapace cristate on the anterolateral margins. It can be recognized by the presence of a double crest on the upper margin of the palm of chela and by its colour pattern, with about twenty red spots on the dorsal surface of the carapace. This new species is considered has a potential endemic form to the Marquesas Islands.

Temporal patterns in the post-larval supply of two crustacean taxa in Rangiroa Atoll, French Polynesia

The post-larval supply of two crustacean taxa (Brachyura and Stomatopoda) was monitored using one crest net over three lunar months at Rangiroa Atoll, French Polynesia. We captured a total of 37,068 brachyuran and 12,697 stomatopod post-larvae during the study. Post-larval supply was higher during the warm season (February–April) than during the cold season (June–July) for both Brachyura (warm season: 85% of total post-larval supply) and Stomatopoda (warm season: 92%). Moreover, the pulse of the brachyuran post-larval supply occurred predominantly around the last quarter, while the pulse of stomatopods occurred predominantly around the new moon. However, for both taxa, the post-larval supply was lowest around the full moon and the first quarter. Overall, our monitoring highlighted that the post-larval supply of Brachyura and Stomatopoda was modulated by seasons and lunar phases at Rangiroa.